--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're constantly pushing yourself…" description: "\"If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher, the law of averages - not to mention the myth of Icarus - predicts that you will at some point fa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/oprah-winfrey-186_failure_if-you-re-constantly-pushing-yourself-hi_1930359.jpg" --- # If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher, the… ![“If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher, the law of averages - not to mention the myth of Icarus - predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do, I want you to know this, remember this: There is no such thing as failure.” quote by Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/oprah-winfrey-186_failure_if-you-re-constantly-pushing-yourself-hi_1930359.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/oprah-winfrey-186_failure_if-you-re-constantly-pushing-yourself-hi_1930359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/oprah-winfrey-186_failure_if-you-re-constantly-pushing-yourself-hi_1930359.jpg) > “If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher, the law of averages - not to mention the myth of Icarus - predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do, I want you to know this, remember this: There is no such thing as failure.” [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Relentless self‑pressure leads to inevitable setbacks; failure is a myth if reframed as learning. **In simple terms:** Pushing too hard causes a fall; there is no true failure. Key Takeaway Embrace setbacks as learning, not defeat. Themes pressureivation resilience mindset growth Mood determined reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - Career ambition - sports training - entrepreneurship - personal development Key Concepts Psychology risk myth of Icarus Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance ambition with self‑care? - What does “failure” truly mean to you? A Different Perspective It ignores structural barriers that cause failure beyond personal effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law of averages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-of-averages/) [Pushing Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pushing-yourself/) ## Related quotes > [It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to stumble. ... If you're constantly pushing yourself higher ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/it-doesn-t-matter-how-far-you-might-rise-at-some-point-you-are-bound-2/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to stumble because if you’re constantly doing what we do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/it-doesn-t-matter-how-far-you-might-rise-at-some-point-you-are-bound/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/there-is-no-such-thing-as-failure-failure-is-just-life-trying-to-move/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“Survival rates for breast cancer are relatively good, but Krishnan has been around illness enough to know there is usually a cruel injustice about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shilpi-somaya-gowda/survival-rates-for-breast-cancer-are-relatively-good-but-krishnan-has/) [Shilpi Somaya Gowda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shilpi-somaya-gowda/) > [For half a century photography has been the "art form" of the untalented. Obviously some pictures are more satisfactory than others, but where is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/for-half-a-century-photography-has-been-the-art-form-of-the/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mauldin/i-feel-like-a-fugitive-from-the-law-of-averages/) [Bill Mauldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mauldin/) > [There is just a lot of creativity and theatricality in performers who happen to be gay. Maybe there's a success in numbers, so by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/there-is-just-a-lot-of-creativity-and-theatricality-in-performers-who/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [“Vathah shut the door for her, then looked in the window. “Most men are idiots.” “Nonsense,” Shallan said, smiling. “By the law of averages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/vathah-shut-the-door-for-her-then-looked-in-the-window-most-men-are/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I have faith in the law of averages. Every day that I can remember, I awoke. I have little reason to believe that today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-cowles/i-have-faith-in-the-law-of-averages-every-day-that-i-can-remember-i/) [Rock Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-cowles/) > [“No matter who you are or what may be your lifework, you are playing checkers with TIME! 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Finally I got tired of getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/psycho-the-woman-s-senile-we-had-to-stop-at-about-thirty-gas-stations/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [I have been luckier than the law of averages should allow. I could never be so lucky again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-doolittle/i-have-been-luckier-than-the-law-of-averages-should-allow-i-could/) [Jimmy Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-doolittle/) > [It isn't that every company is going to be successful. The law of averages shows that 80% of companies are going to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-carter/it-isn-t-that-every-company-is-going-to-be-successful-the-law-of/) [Troy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-carter/) ## More by Oprah Winfrey > [I've seen that many times in rural African villages where people have nothing but a hut and a bowl. The joy in the children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-ve-seen-that-many-times-in-rural-african-villages-where-people-have/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“Forgiveness is about letting go of the past and not holding on to it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/forgiveness-is-about-letting-go-of-the-past-and-not-holding-on-to-it/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [The deepest courage we can exercise is continuing to believe in our dreams until we make them come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-deepest-courage-we-can-exercise-is-continuing-to-believe-in-our/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [If you can see it, and believe it, it is a LOT easier to achieve it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/if-you-can-see-it-and-believe-it-it-is-a-lot-easier-to-achieve-it/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It's why you were born. And how you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/there-is-no-greater-gift-you-can-give-or-receive-than-to-honor-your/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Gratitude is the single greatest treasure I will take with me from this experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/gratitude-is-the-single-greatest-treasure-i-will-take-with-me-from/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-am-disappointed-by-this-controversy-surrounding-a-million-little/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Keep a grateful journal. Every night, list five things that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change our perspective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/keep-a-grateful-journal-every-night-list-five-things-that-you-are/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-want-every-day-to-be-a-fresh-start-on-expanding-what-is-possible/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [We often block our own blessings because we don't feel inherently good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or worthy enough... You're worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/we-often-block-our-own-blessings-because-we-don-t-feel-inherently/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [One if the hardest things in life to learn are which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/one-if-the-hardest-things-in-life-to-learn-are-which-bridges-to-cross/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [You must feed your mind with reading material, thoughts, and ideas that open you to new possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/you-must-feed-your-mind-with-reading-material-thoughts-and-ideas-that/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Your soul tells you when it's time to move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/your-soul-tells-you-when-it-s-time-to-move-on/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) [Explore all 971 Oprah Winfrey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher, the law of averages - not to mention the myth of Icarus - predicts that you will at some point fall. 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